1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for attaching a first member to a second thin walled member by driving the first member through the second member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many previously known methods and devices for attaching one member to a second thin walled member. Moreover, for ease of description only, it will be assumed that the first member is a fluid connector while the second member is a thin walled tube such as might be found in an air conditioning system for an automobile.
It has been the previous practice in attaching fluid connectors to tubes to first predrill each tube at the intended point of connection with the fluid connector and to then insert the fluid coupling into the drilled hole. Thereafter, each fluid connector is welded or brazed to the tube thus obtaining a fluid tight connection between the tube and each fluid connector.
The previously known method of attaching fluid couplings to tubes, however, is disadvantageous in several different aspects. First, the process of drilling the hole or holes in the tube not only is time consuming but also is a relatively expensive machining process. In addition, the drill must be periodically replaced or sharpened which consumes not only machine and labor costs but also results in down time for the machine.
A still further disadvantage of this previously known method of attaching fluid connectors to a tube is that due to manufacturing tolerances and variations between the various fluid connectors, many fluid connectors are smaller than the hole drilled through the tube. As a result, the fluid connectors are not frictionally attached to the tube but rather are quite loose and tend to fall or separate from the tube. In any event a loose or missing fluid connector cannot be brazed to the tube adequately to obtain a fluid tight connection so that the tube must be scrapped. In practice up to 30% of the tubes must be scrapped which, of course, results in an unnecessarily high cost for the finished assembly of the tube with its attached fluid connectors.